WHAT? Rehashed hog hodgepodge. Though a packed loaf of pig scraps and offal may not entice those with squeamish stomachs, scrapple has been enjoyed in the Pennsylvania Dutch region since its first settlers set up shop there. (According to the Habbersett company—which has been slinging scrapple since 1863—the product was invented in Chester County, PA, home to the state’s oldest colony.) Similar to black pudding or German panhas, scrapple was an invention born of frugality, a delicious way to use up every last piece of the pig after slaughtering. To the leftover porky parts New World pioneers added buckwheat and cornmeal—two crops indigenous to the area—and seasonings before setting in loaf-shaped molds. Sliced and fried until golden brown, scrapple has a crispy texture and well-spiced flavor similar to that of a country sausage patty. You can still find it in

Jason Weiner of Almond served this deluxe French toast at his Beard House brunch last month. Made with banana bread, the dish was topped with candied walnuts, dried cranberries, and malted anglaise.
See more photos of chef Weiner's brunch here.
(Photo by Joan Garvin)

Here’s what happening at the Beard House next week:
Tuesday, February 23, 7:00 P.M.
Another Taste of PerfectionFrom its perch on the 24th floor of the Grand Pequot Tower at Foxwoods Resort Casino, Paragon lives up to its name—literally and figuratively—with Scott Mickelson’s French- and Asian-inflected cuisine. An apex of sophistication and a standard-bearer for fine-dining restaurants, Paragon reaches great heights.
Wednesday, February 24, 7:00 P.M.
Toujours Le Bec-FinGeorges Perrier ushered in Philadelphia’s dining renaissance when he opened his now-iconic restaurant, Le Bec-Fin, in 1970. Four decades later, with the help of extraordinarily talented executive chef Nicholas Elmi, Perrier’s

Pastry prodigy Pichet Ong served three desserts at our Valentine's Day dinner. One of them was this malted kulfi, which was topped with caramel popcorn, spiced chocolate sauce, and muckwa confetti. (Kulfi is India's answer to ice cream; muckwa is candied fennel seed.)
See more photos of the seductive dinner here.
(Photo by Bobbi Lin)

Behind every great chef is a resourceful and tireless purveyor, and many of America's best kitchens rely on D'Artagnan founder Ariane Daguin, whose valuable stock of foie gras, terrines, and other fine meat products is without peer. To celebrate her company's 25th anniversary, we've invited Daguin and a cadre of Gascon chefs to prepare a decadent Beard House tasting inspired by the D'Artagnan catalog, complete with regional wines and fine Armagnacs. Take a gander at the menu below:
Hors d’OeuvreFoie Gras and Black Truffle TartineChestnut SoupLaguiole Cheese Rolls with Salsify and Duck ProsciuttoWild Boar Bacon–Wrapped PrunesDinnerCreamy Tarbais Bean Soup with Black TrufflesPan-Seared Foie Gras with Caramelized Apples and Sweet-and-Sour SaucePigs’ Foot and Porcini StewHazelnut-Crusted Venison Medallion with

A chef wields a blowtorch to brûlée servings of ginger-scented tuna, which were paired with pickled ginger pearls and kabayaki. The dish appeared in a tasting menu prepared by a group of talented convention center chefs.
Check out more photos from the event here.
(Photo by Philip Gross)

Eric Hara of the Oak Room served this lemon pavlova, lemon sorbet, and rose water syrup dessert at last week's Beard House benefit for Haiti. The dinner raised over $4,000 for the International Rescue Committee and its support of the country's earthquake victims.
See more photos from the evening here.
(Photo by Bobbi Lin)

We’ll always love the tried and true chocolate and roses, but this year we’re excited for something extra on Valentine's Day: a sexy menu from the renowned team from Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market. Chef Anthony Ricco’s reinvented Asian fare will be on display, as well as tasty sweets by the restaurant’s original pastry chef, Pichet Ong. Check out the menu below (warning: heart palpitations may occur):
Shaved Tuna with Chili Tapioca and Coconut-Lime BrothSpiced Chicken Samosas with Cilantro YogurtCod with Malaysian Chile Sauce and Thai BasilRed Curried Duck with Pineapple SambalTropical Fruit Sundae with Passion-Fruit Foam and Basil SeedsOvaltine Kulfi with Spiced Chocolate Sauce and MuckwaChocolate Cupcake with Salted Caramel and Vietnamese CoffeeTo view the entire menu, visit the official event page.

WHAT? Saintly snack. March 19, the day of San Giuseppe, is the day tradition binds Neapolitans to eat zeppole. (The plural takes an "e.") Not that it takes much encouragement. Although New Yorkers associate the deep-fried dough dusted with powdered sugar with street fairs in Little Italy, the snack dates at least to the early 19th century, and most likely several hundred years before that. It was the Neapolitan pastry chef Pintauro who first fried his zeppole on the sidewalk (outside his shop), and thus created what one commentator, Don Giulio Genonino, in 1834 called the "zeppole de pasticcere a delluvio" (flood of zeppole) that characterizes the streets in Naples on the Day of St. Joseph.
WHERE? Anthony Pino's Beard House dinnerWHEN? February 19, 2010